Reviews

Rocky

Still, you're given more than enough opportunities to ignore these graphical anomalies. After the first bout, which involves you jabbing random buttons and hoping for a win, you're sent off to "Mickey's Gym" to work on your five different statistics; strength, speed, stamina, determination, and movement. These actually affect your in-ring performance, and are cunningly weaved into a set of mini-games, usually involving skipping to a rhythm, punching correctly, or attempting sit-ups while you're being pummeled in the stomach. It's here that you'll lose all feeling in your fingers as you attempt to complete these tasks (which are either cut-down versions of tapping buttons to the beat or furiously pounding them until your head bleeds) that can increase your stats by up to ten points. Or, you can opt for the auto-train, which saves on joypads, but only offers up five points.

Then you're onto the next bout, hopefully after attempting a little sparring, as you'll learn that the D-Pad, plus the four buttons on the right side of your controller, offer up almost countless combinations both upstairs and down. Heavier swings are available with the right shoulder button held, and dodging sways available with the left. There's even a taunt, where Stallone says something almost intelligible, straight from the movie. Of course, this goading always lasts too long in the fight, and leaves you ripe for a pummeling. Practice incessantly (remembering there's 150 moves to learn!), and you'll have one of the deepest fighting games ever made.

Tommy Gunn: Lacking Fun

Further into the game, after you've excited yourself a little too much pummeling Ivan Drago in Moscow (yes, the Apollo Creed beat-down is in there), the game takes a turn for the anti-climactic. The final four boxers are notoriously difficult to defeat, and the final bout with Tommy "who?" Gunn in a bare-knuckle street brawl isn't quite the ultimate boss battle you'll need to feel all that incessant joypad prodding was worth while. Blame the crappy movie, not the game.

Still, it's at this time that the computer never awarding a 10-7 round really hits home. CPU fighters also seem to lack the skill to effectively block uppercuts, and the ten-count finishes as the boxer starts to stir from the ground rather than once he's stood up. You'll also find it incredible that you'll have walloped Union Cane onto the canvas twice, then he regenerates health like a vampire and doesn't seem to have felt any of the beating you just inflicted on him. The amount of damage you've taken only seems to matter once you've been knocked down, as the joypad hammering to get back up gets increasingly more violent the more times you hit canvas. Another problem that needs addressing if this game engine is to be employed again.

However, ignore the game's less-than-stellar qualities (like the same-sounding corner men and referees), and you'll still have a game that takes considerable time to master. The exceptional knockout tournament mode, which can feature up to 16 human players beating each other down, makes this a party game for both part-time and practiced pummeling pugilists.

If you're wondering who the main contender is between the PlayStation 2 and GameCube versions, then you'll be happy to learn they're both pretty evenly matched. Both returned dazed to their corners with audio problems as movie character samples play (these sound like they were recorded in a latrine, and a drowned out by ambient crowd roar and chatter -- this problem is more pronounced on the PS2), but the PlayStation 2 executes a swift rope-a-dope flurry by the layout of its four buttons, meaning punch combos are easier to access.

However, the GameCube bobs and weaves courageously by offering Apollo Creed's chariot in his introduction at the end of the Rocky I movie game (PS2 owners, you're making do with a Creed entrance on foot). Unfortunately, for PS2 owners, a vicious beat-down is delivered by the GameCube's less blurry, less angular crowds, and it wins by a split decision. Still, you can ignore this version's shortfalls and graphical imperfections by employing effective countering after learning your opponents' weaknesses, and training incessantly in the gym. Show yourself to be a worthy adversary to Clubber Lang, not K D Lang, and the hard work will pay off. Rent, play, and decide if you've got the eye of the tiger.